"Campaign finance, raising and spending of money intended to influence a political vote, such as the election of a candidate or a referendum.
Political parties and candidates require money to publicize their electoral platforms and to pursue effective campaigns. Attempts to regulate campaign finance reflect the commonly held belief that uncontrolled political fund-raising and spending can undermine the integrity of the democratic process and erode the confidence of the electorate in political institutions."
From https://www.britannica.com/money/campaign-finance; accessed August 9, 2024.
The FEC is an independent government agency, created by Congress in 1974.
Mission and History
The FEC was created to promote confidence and participation in the democratic process. Read more about the FEC’s history, purpose and goals.
Leadership and Structure
The agency is led by six Commissioners, no more than three of whom can belong to the same political party. Find out more about the FEC’s structure and its Commissioners.
Reports about the FEC
The FEC regularly publishes information about its objectives and performance. These documents include strategic plans, budgets and procurement reports. Additional documents are available in response to the Committee on House Administration's April 2019 questions to the Commission.
Careers
More than 300 people work at the FEC. Find current job openings and information about the application process.
Working with the FEC
Working with experts, vendors and other external stakeholders helps the FEC support its mission.
Requests For Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Quotations (RFQs) are posted by the General Services Administration, either on its e-BUY website or on its Federal Business Opportunities website.
Reports about FEC procurement and contracting are available in Procurement and contracting.
The FEC’s FY 2022 service contract inventory data is included in the government-wide inventory posted on www.acquisition.gov and the government-wide inventory can be filtered to display the inventory data for the agency. The link to the government-wide inventory is https://www.acquisition.gov/content/service-contract-inventory.
From https://www.fec.gov/; accessed August 15, 2024.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case concerning campaign finance. The Court held that the free speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political communications by corporations, including nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.
The case arose after Citizens United, a conservative non-profit organization, sought to air and advertise a film critical of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton shortly before the 2008 Democratic primary elections. This violated the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which prohibited any corporation or labor union from making an "electioneering communication" within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of an election, or making any expenditure advocating the election or defeat of a candidate at any time.
In a majority opinion joined by four other justices, Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy held that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's prohibition of all independent expenditures by corporations and unions violated the First Amendment's protection of free speech. The Court overruled Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990), which had allowed different restrictions on speech-related spending based on corporate identity, as well as a portion of McConnell v. FEC (2003) that had restricted corporate spending on electioneering communications. The ruling effectively freed labor unions and corporations to spend money on electioneering communications and to directly advocate for the election or defeat of candidates. In his dissenting opinion, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens argued that Court's ruling represented "a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government."
The decision remains highly controversial, generating much public discussion and receiving strong support and opposition from various groups. Senator Mitch McConnell commended the decision, arguing that it represented "an important step in the direction of restoring the First Amendment rights". By contrast, President Barack Obama stated that the decision "gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington".
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC; accessed August 15, 2024.
The following is a link to all campaign finance legislation (bills and resolutions) in process in the U.S. Congress:
https://tinyurl.com/2nepz89v; accessed August 9, 2024.
National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)
The National Conference of State Legislatures, created by state legislators and legislative staff in 1975, serves America’s 50 states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia. Every state legislator and staffer is a member of the organization and has complete access to the latest in bipartisan policy research, training resources and technical assistance tailored specifically to their needs. And, NCSL offers members a variety of opportunities to connect and collaborate, notably at its signature event, the NCSL Legislative Summit. Use the links below to get involved or connect with NCSL staff.
Mission
NCSL represents the legislatures in the states, territories and commonwealths of the U.S. Its mission is to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures.
NCSL also represents legislatures in dealing with the federal government, especially in support of state sovereignty and state flexibility and protection from unfunded federal mandates and unwarranted federal preemption. The conference promotes cooperation between state legislatures in the U.S. and those in other countries.
In addition, NCSL is committed to improving the operations and management of state legislatures, and the effectiveness of legislators and legislative staff. NCSL also encourages the practice of high standards of conduct by legislators and legislative staff.
History
In 1974, three organizations represented the interests of legislators and staff, but their influence was diluted. So seven inventive legislative leaders and two staffers got together and envisioned a single national organization to support, defend and strengthen state legislatures. The three organizations dissolved, and on Jan. 1, 1975, the National Conference of State Legislatures was born.
From https://www.ncsl.org/about-us ; accessed August 15, 2024.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA, McCain–Feingold Act, Pub.L. 107–155, 116 Stat. 81, enacted March 27, 2002, H.R. 2356) is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing of political campaigns. Its chief sponsors were Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John McCain (R-AZ). The law became effective on 6 November 2002, and the new legal limits became effective on January 1, 2003.
As noted in McConnell v. FEC, a United States Supreme Court ruling on the BCRA, the Act was designed to address two issues:
Although the legislation is known as "McCain–Feingold", the Senate version is not the bill that became law. Instead, the companion legislation, H.R. 2356—introduced by Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), is the version that became law. Shays–Meehan was originally introduced as H.R. 380.[3]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisan_Campaign_Reform_Act; accessed August 15, 2024.